Good production of verdant oranges has elevated the spirits of farmers of indigenous ethnicity in the hills of Bandarban district. Witnessing such potential financial success, local Bangalis are also leaning towards orange cultivation.
In the current season, oranges have been cultivated on 5,139.792 acres of land in seven upazilas of the district. However, due to the lack of proper storage, farmers are at financial risk as the fruit spoils quickly.
According to local sources, the suitable soil and climate has led to the mass production of 29,120 tons of oranges. Every day, the produce is sent to different parts of the country, including Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.
Sources also say that through the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board, orange cultivation has begun in three other hill tracts, including Bandarban.
Bandarban has been recognised as an "Orange area" for several years now, as most of the hills are filled with orange orchards. A pair of oranges is sold at between Tk6 to Tk8.
Farmer Iyol Lok Mro from Thanchi upazila’s Rematri union in Bandarban told the Dhaka Tribune that the demand for local oranges is increasing, since it is bigger in size and sweet to taste.
According to sources, in order to eradicate poverty, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board had initiated the project to rehabilitate 600 farmers in three hill tracts and distributed a number of seedlings, including orange, in 1999. The project was conceived to let landless and marginal farmers cultivate oranges and other crops in the mountainous region.
Farmer Shoching Murung of Chintabar para in Lebu area of Gajalia union in Lama upazila told the Dhaka Tribune that he has cultivated oranges on three acres of hill area. Even after a tedious process of collecting the seedlings, followed by cleaning the area, spraying pesticides and labour, which costs up to Tk30,000 in total, oranges can be cultivated within 5 to 6 years.
Murung also said that he sold one acre worth of oranges for more than Tk2.5 lakh.
It is also known that more than three percent of Bandarban has orange (tangerine) and orange (malta) orchards.
Union Parisha Chairman Farid Ul Alam said that due to the lack of proper communication, transportation and marketing facilities, farmers are forced to sell the oranges at lowered prices to middlemen, while the current market price is Tk10/15 per orange.
However, these middlemen have been buying 100 oranges for Tk400 to Tk500.
Bhabatosh Chakraborty, the assistant agriculture officer of Bandarban district’s Department of Agricultural Extension, told the Dhaka Tribune that the middlemen force harvest of the oranges before they ripen. As a result, these oranges do not taste good.
He also said that if the orchards are nurtured properly and the oranges are cultivated at the proper time, the three hill tracts including Bandarban will become famous one day.
